Blaka Watra has had a relatively low profile in the five years it’s been around, starting off as a semi-acoustic side project.
The trio released a self-titled album in 2010. But it’s undergone a lot of changes since then, adding drummer John Panza, and developing a thicker, more aggressive sound.
Fronted by singers Jessica Julian and Lauren Voss, who trade off on guitars and sythns, they lay down a baseline drone from which pop-style song structures poke their heads up like bubbles out of ooze.
The 2011 EP Quarternity gave listeners a taste of the current band. But their new album, Church of Insomnia, featuring a cover by Voss who is also a visual artist, gives potential fans a full meal.
The band’s had a challenging year, with Panza battling lung cancer (he recently had a lung removed), Voss diagnosed with a thyroid condition, and the death of Julian’s fiancé Ted Flynn in April. But with a high-profile appearance at WRUW-FM’s annual Studio-A-Rama September 7 and a CD release show at the Grog Shop this weekend, they’re ready to get out there again.
The Rutabega from South Bend, Indiana, Cleveland’s Bwak Dwagon, and one-woman band Uno Lady open.
Admission is $5.
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